


A Dark Vintage

by MadameMayorRM



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-31
Updated: 2016-01-31
Packaged: 2018-05-17 09:02:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5863012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadameMayorRM/pseuds/MadameMayorRM
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After returning from the Underworld, Emma struggles with finding her place again in Storybrooke.  She stumbles upon a long abandoned vineyard and decides to bring it back to life.  Regina is there to support her friend and lend a hand... but something more is happening between them that a simple cultivating a grapes for wine.  They are falling in love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DitchingNarnia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DitchingNarnia/gifts).



> This has been the most amazing thing! I have enjoyed writing this story and I hope you will enjoy reading it. So many thanks to Sara (DitchingNarnia), for the awesome video from which this story is based. Thanks to my every helpful beta, Jenn (jleigh1780), who reads and cheers and makes writing fun even on hard days. Thanks also to Kelly (kjdawson80) for reading and cheering and keeping me up to date on the never ending adventures of the Jerk!Cat who was Harry Houdini in a former life... probably. I hope you girls love this story too. You all had a hand in seeing it come to fruition.

_Accept what life offers you and try to drink from every cup.  All wines should be tasted; some should only be sipped, but with others, drink the whole bottle.  You can only know a good wine if you have first tasted a bad one.  ~ Paulo Coelho, Brida_

**Prologue**

In the days and weeks since returning from their fruitless trip into the underworld to rescue Hook, the citizens of Storybrooke have fallen back into the simple routines of life.  For the first time since before the Queens of Darkness arrived, there is relative peace in the town and everyone is happy about that.  Everyone except Emma.

Emma has always fit into the town’s hierarchy as Savior.  That’s been her place, her title, her identity.  But if there is nothing from which to be saved… well, she doesn’t belong anywhere.  At least, she doesn’t think that she does.  She isn’t really the Savior.  She is no longer really the Dark Swan.  She can’t even just be Killian’s girlfriend since he was truly and irrevocably dead when they reached him in the underworld.  No.  She just doesn’t belong anywhere anymore.

In addition to this sense of displacement, she has still been plagued by the whispering voices of the Dark One’s dagger despite being freed of its power.  Idle time has made those voices louder over the months.  The only time she finds her own peace is when she is busy.  But with no crime to fight, no monsters to banish, idle time is all she has.  What she needs is a hobby.

At first, making dream catchers had been a good way to keep herself busy, but now it doesn’t seem as interesting.  Since she used the dream catchers to steal everyone’s memories, making them conjures up visions of a bad past and seems in poor taste.  To be honest, Snow and David look at her funny when she does make them and the last thing she needs right now is more looks from them.  They just don’t understand.  No one does.  Well, except for maybe Regina.

Recently, the former Evil Queen had tried to talk to her about that understanding, to let her know she had a friend… and an ally.

_“I know.  It hurts, doesn’t it?”  Regina had said, leaning on the edge of Emma’s desk.  Her brown eyes had been full of sympathy.  “I’ve been there too.  Our actions are our own, but fate pushes us.”_

_“I’m ok, Regina.  I don’t need a babysitter.”  Emma had replied, sounding like a bored teenager tired of hearing a lecture from an adult._

_“But maybe I need you.” Regina had said with a sad smile.  “Look, I know you, Emma.  It took a long time but I really… know you.  There is nothing you can’t come back from if you just tell us.”_

Regina’s words had given Emma pause.  She hadn’t confided in anyone about the emptiness or the voices, but somehow, someway, Regina always seemed to know.  It had become their default setting to see and know each other when no one else did.  But Emma wasn’t ready.  She wasn’t ready to share this dark place with anyone.  Not even Regina.

 So, to fill her time, Emma had begun taking long walks alone through the woods of Storybrooke to think, to clear her mind, to try to work through her own depressed feelings.  It was on one of these long walks to nowhere in particular that Emma stumbled upon something that would change everything.

A vineyard.

It was just after the first snow of the winter, and the whole world was blanketed in white.  Emma had gone out as usual for a walk, but the weather wasn’t cooperating.  As she walked along she decided to leave her usual path, veer right toward a clearing and hopefully find the road.  She was cold and tired and the walk wasn’t clearing her mind at all today.

She had stumbled upon the vineyard then purely by chance.  It had stretched out across the clearing as far as she could see in the cold, white world.  Approaching the first row, she felt the plant.  It wasn’t dead but it was in need of care.  She wondered to whom this place might belong.  She knew everyone in town and she had never heard of anyone growing grapes or producing wine.  As far as she knew, Regina was the only person who made their own alcoholic beverages—the best apple cider anyone ever tasted.

Emma trudged through the snow, examining and wondering.  What kind of grapes grew here?  What had become of them up until now?  Had someone been growing them or were they abandoned?  Her heart clenched at the thought.  Life went on, even when you were abandoned.  How well she knew.

When she reached her house that day, Emma had walked on past it to the Town Hall and the records department.  No one questioned her as she began rifling through files.  She was, after all, their Princess, heir to the throne if she wanted it, the Savior, the former Dark One, the Sheriff and, not least of all, she was known to be personal friends with the Mayor.  That alone afforded her carte blanche with most citizens who had learned to no longer fear the Evil Queen but respect the woman, the hero, she had become.

After several hours of searching, Emma had discovered that no one technically owned the vineyard.  The land was Regina’s but she had never used it.  The vineyard itself wasn’t even listed on the town records as existing.  So technically… it belonged to no one.  At least, that was what she told herself every day she went there and worked, clearing weeds, pruning vines and tending the plants.

_They don’t belong to anyone… they don’t belong._

Emma Swan had found her hobby.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter One**

“Henry?” Regina heard the front door slam shut.  She hadn’t been expecting her son home so soon.

“Yeah, it’s me.”  He came through the door to her study and flopped down flat of his back on the sofa.  His long legs hung over the arm.  He wasn’t her little prince anymore.  No, he was becoming a man.

“I wasn’t expecting you home for another couple of hours.  Is anything wrong?”

“Just the same thing that has been wrong since back in the winter.  Ma had ‘somewhere to be’ and had to cut our visit short.”  Henry began swinging his legs, the heels of his sneakers banging into the sofa.

Regina stood from her desk and stepped around to her son, stilling his feet with her hand.  “So, you still don’t know what she’s been up to?”

Emma had been sneaking away from her family, her job, from everything any chance she could get lately.  She would disappear for hours and no one knew where she was.  In fact, whenever anyone questioned her, she would shrug and say something vague but never really give a solid answer.  But as the winter turned to spring, she had begun cutting out early on Henry and Regina didn’t like that at all.  Avoid Snow, leave work early, miss lunch with her from time to time… those were things Regina could overlook.  But now her behavior was affecting Henry and the mayor wasn’t just going to let that stand.

After a short chat with her son, he grabbed a snack from the kitchen and headed upstairs to work on his homework.  She called up that she had forgotten something at her office and was going to run into town.  She wasn’t lying exactly.  She had forgotten a file she needed but she could live without it.  Her intention was to find Emma and get some answers but Henry didn’t need to know that.

First things first, she picked up the file and put it in her car.  Her conscience thanked her as she closed and locked the Mercedes and walked to her next stop—Granny’s.  She thought maybe Ruby knew something about what Emma had been up to.  They were friends, right?

“I honestly don’t know, Regina.  And I promise… if I knew, I would spill it.  But she’s been weird lately and I can’t get anything out of her.  Sorry.”  Ruby shrugged and sashayed away.  That was exactly zero help.

The mayor glanced around the room to see if there was anyone else she could question.  Dwarves.  She didn’t relish the idea of speaking to them, but they seemed to always be in the know.

“Listen sister, did it ever occur to you that Emma might not want anyone to know what she’s doing?”  Grumpy nudged Happy and cast a glance to his other brothers who immediately agreed with him.

“Of course I have considered that, Dwarf.  But I am worried about her.”  Regina resisted the urge to roll her eyes.  Being one of the good guys was hard work.

“She-uh… she was in—ACHOO!” Sneezy sniffled and wiped his nose on his sleeve, making Regina’s stomach sour.  Dwarves could be disgusting.  “She was in my store today looking for sturdy twine and a jumbo box of Band-Aids.”

“And how is that supposed to be helpful?”  She arched a brow and turned to walk away.

That was when she saw it.  David’s beat up old truck driving past the diner.  Regina dashed out the door and down the walk to the street.  She stepped toward the library and looked up and down the street.  Perhaps Emma was headed to the loft to see her parents.  But the truck was nowhere in sight.

She was about to give up and go home when the truck pulled to the stop sign at the intersection and she made eye contact with Emma.  They both stared a long moment, a sort of understanding passing between them as it so often did.  Regina was about to approach the truck when Emma turned and headed back through town, passing the brunette and leaving her without the answers she had come seeking.

The former queen frowned.  She could give up.  She could accept that look in Emma’s green eyes and mind her own business.  But she wasn’t going to.  No, she wanted to know.  So, stepping into the empty street, she knelt down and touched the road, summoning her magic.  In a moment, the tracks of Emma’s tires lit up like Christmas and created a magical trail to wherever Emma was secretly spending her time.

“Now, let’s see what you’ve been up to, Miss Swan.”

Regina jogged quickly back to her black Mercedes and climbed in.  For a fleeting moment she wondered if she should heed Grumpy’s advice and let well enough alone.  Maybe Emma really didn’t want to be bothered.  But she couldn’t let this go.  She needed to know… for Henry.  And if she was honest, she wanted to know for herself.

As their friendship had grown and changed over the years, she and Emma had begun sharing so much with each other.  Their relationship was unusual and it was unlikely that anyone else could follow their path and be happy with the outcome, but it was just like them—unique and maybe even special.  But in particular since Emma took on the darkness to protect her, and since Regina had followed the blonde into literal Hell to help her find happiness… they had developed a connection and openness that this new secret was threatening.

So, she shook off her worry that she was over stepping and put the car in drive.  She was going to get to the bottom of this… tonight.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Two**

 Regina followed the glowing lines out from town.  A light rain had begun to fall but she didn’t let that discourage her.  She was determined to find out where Emma was running off to all the time.  And perhaps, if she was lucky, she could find out why.

Far outside of town, the light-path on the road turned from the black top into a field and stopped abruptly.  Regina put her car in park and stared out the window.  This didn’t make any sense.  Emma nor her father’s truck were anywhere to be found and the lines… they should have kept going even if Emma pulled the truck off road and into the field.

Regina debated with herself about just going home.  It was still raining and it was getting late.  Henry would begin to worry about her if she didn’t come back soon.  But she hadn’t come this far to give up and go home.  Rain or no rain, she was getting out and investigating.

Quickly tapping out a text message to Henry that she was going to be late but everything was fine, Regina opened the door and stepped into the chilly night air.  The days of spring in Storybrooke could be warm but misleading.  The nights still seemed more like winter than spring. 

Stepping across the deserted street, Regina felt the tell-tale tingle of magic in the air.  She had made magic with Emma enough by now to recognize the blonde’s own signature.  Emma was here and if Regina was reading the magic right, she was using a cloaking spell—a large one.

The brunette reached out a gloved hand then and with minimal effort removed the spell.  As it fell away, she gasped.  Before her, in what had appeared to be an empty field, was a large vineyard.  She was confused as to why Emma would be here and why she would hide this from anyone.  She didn’t even notice the blonde standing by her truck.

“Well, I wondered how long it would be before you came out here.”  Emma smiled her crooked grin, folding her arms across her chest and sidling over to the other woman.

“Emma?  What… what is this?”  Regina continued to stare at the neat rows of vines.  She noticed a spool of twine at the end of a row near the truck, where its headlights were shining.  Emma was trying to tie up some sagging vines.  Perhaps Sneezy wasn’t useless after all.

“This… is a vineyard.  You know, where grapes come from.”  Emma grinned again and turned to admire the expansive field alongside Regina.

“I know _what_ it is, idiot.  I mean, what is it doing here?  What are _you_ doing here?”  Regina stepped closer to the vines, noting they had not yet begun to produce any leaves or buds.

“Well, I think in this scenario, I should be asking you what you are doing here, shouldn’t I?”

Regina frowned back at the blonde.  “I was… just out for a drive and—“

“Regina.  Seriously?  I can see the magic on the road.  You followed me.  What do you want?”  Emma stepped back over to the vine she was tying up and finished her work, turning her back to Regina.

The brunette thought for a moment.  She had imagined any number of scenarios that would await her at the end of the road, but this hadn’t been one of them.  Emma had thrown her off her game.  “I wanted to know where you were running off to all the time.  Henry was let down that you left early tonight—again.  So, I decided to find out for myself.”

“Is that why you were at Granny’s?  Checking up on me?”

“I wasn’t checking up on you.  I just… I just wanted to know.  For Henry.”  Regina folded her arms across her chest now.  How had Emma managed to make her feel like she was the one doing wrong?  Emma was the one sneaking off every day, not her.

“For Henry?  Mmhmm.  And, you aren’t the least bit curious for yourself?”  Emma stood now from her work and turned back to Regina.

“Well, I… yes.  I suppose I was curious for myself.”  The former queen didn’t like admitting she cared, but she did.  “I came out here tonight because Henry was unhappy and…“

“And?”  Emma encouraged her to go on.

“And because.  Oh, for goodness sake.  I came because I’m worried about you.  Ok?  Is that so terrible?  You’ve been sneaking around and leaving work and skipping our Friday lunches.  And now this with Henry.  I just… I wanted to be sure you were ok.  _And_ I was curious about what was stealing your attention.”  Regina leaned back against the rusty old truck and looked anywhere but at Emma.  She didn’t like admitting she cared.

Emma laughed and it startled Regina.  How long had it been since she had really heard the other woman laugh? 

“What’s funny?”

“You are.  Playing private investigator, using magic to track me down and then standing here, in the rain, pouting because you had to tell me you care about me.”  Emma grinned and leaned against the truck beside her.

“I never said I cared about you.”  A smug look crossed Regina’s face as she rolled her eyes at the blonde.

“Oh, you care.  Go ahead and admit it.  It will make you feel better.”  Emma nudged the brunette with her elbow.  “Go on.  Say it.  You care about me.  Don’t you?  You do, don’t you?”

Regina cut her eyes at the smiling woman and tried to stifle a smile of her own.  She hadn’t seen this side of Emma in so very long.  She seemed… light and carefree.  “Oh, alright.  I care about you.  Happy now?”

Emma clutched her hands over her heart.  “Oh!  My poor heart!  Can it take an admission like that?”  She laughed again before nudging Regina once more.  “Yes, I am happy.  I feel happy for the first time in a long time, Regina.”

The brunette let those words settle over her.  Emma was happy.  “So, if you are happy… why all the cloak and dagger?  Oooo, poor choice of words.  But you get my drift.  Why all the secrecy?”

Emma shrugged but said nothing for several minutes.  The rain had stopped and the sounds of night could be heard once more.  “I guess I just didn’t want to share this with anyone yet.”

“And what is _this_ that you aren’t ready to share?”  Regina waved her hand out toward the vineyard.

“I told you.  It’s a vineyard.  A place where grapes grow.”

“Very funny.  We have already established that.  But what is it to you?”

Emma took a deep breath and pushed herself off the truck.  She stooped to pick up the spool of twine and some gardening implements Regina hadn’t noticed before.  She placed them in the truck on the front seat.

“What is it to me?  That is a long story, Regina.  And I really would like to share it with you.  But not tonight.  Tonight I am cold and wet and I want to go home.  And you need to get in out of this night air before you make yourself sick.”  Emma smiled shyly at the other woman.

“Night air?  Well, now.  It seems I’m not the only one that cares.”  Regina smirked and stepped away from the truck.  Emma was right.  She needed to get back home.  “Don’t think this is the end, Emma.  I want to know what is going on with you… as your friend.”

“And I promise, I will tell you.  In fact, why don’t I come by and pick you up tomorrow and you can see this place in the light of day?”  There was a glimmer of hopefulness in her green eyes, tinged with a slight fear of rejection.

“Alright.  Why don’t you come around eleven and I’ll make us some lunch.”  Regina started back toward her car as another light rain began to fall.

“Ok.  I’ll be there.  But no vegetables for lunch.  I mean it.”  Emma gave the brunette a fake frown and wagged a finger at her.

“This isn’t my first time, Miss Swan.  I know what you like.”  A devilish grin spread across Regina’s face.

“Flirt.”

“Idiot.”

“Goodnight, Regina.  See you tomorrow.”  Emma watched as Regina raised her hand to wave goodnight without even looking back as she opened her car door.  “Oh, and Regina?”

The mayor turned, one leg already in the Mercedes.  “Yes, Emma?”

“I do, you know.  I do care about you.”  Color bloomed across Emma’s cheeks in embarrassment at her admission.

“I know.  Goodnight, Emma.”

Emma smiled, watching Regina’s tail lights fade in the distance.  Her secret had been fun, but the idea of having someone to share it with made her heart race… especially sharing it with Regina.

_I care so much more than you know._


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Three**

Emma had to laugh at the lunch Regina prepared.  True to her word, there were indeed no vegetables on the blonde’s plate.  Regina had made chicken salad (with grapes as it seemed apropos) on wheat toast and served it with a bowl of hummus.  Emma was given a stack of toasted pita points and Regina had an assortment of raw vegetables.

“You are welcome to some of my carrots if you like.”  The brunette smirked at her companion.

“No thank you, but I do love the hummus.  Good move.  I swear, if I lived here you’d probably have me eating vegetables and grilled chicken breasts three meals a day.  Health freak.”  Emma smeared a dab of hummus on the corner of her sandwich just to see how it would taste.  It wasn’t as good as she’d hoped so she switched back to the pita.

“Health freak?  While I may be a freak in some areas of life, I am not when it comes to food.  Or have you forgotten all the lasagna and homemade pastries you’ve inhaled at my dinner table?”  Regina bit a celery stalk and relished the loud snap it made as if to accentuate her next point.  “I can’t help it if I prefer some healthier fare over the greasy concoctions you choose every Friday at the diner.  But I will say it infuriates me that you stay so thin without trying very hard.  It’s as if you just naturally look… like you do.  At my age...” Regina trailed off and gave Emma a look of warning not to even try to guess her true age.  “Well, let’s just say I have to work at it and leave it at that.”

“I call bull shit.”  Emma snuck a carrot then and rolled her eyes at Regina’s triumphant arched brow.  “You don’t have to work hard to look good and you know it.”

“Oh?  And how’s that, dear?  Does looking good just come naturally to me too?”  Regina raised both eyebrows now to tease Emma.

Emma grinned.  The blonde realized she had inadvertently said the former Evil Queen looked good.  Somehow Regina always came out the victor in a war of words. 

“I just mean, you have magic for one.  It can keep you looking great.  And for another… yes, I guess it does come naturally to you too.”  Emma frowned.

“Well, don’t look so distraught over saying something nice to me, Emma.”  Regina laughed lightly and winked at her friend.  “You look like someone served you steamed broccoli in place of onion rings.”

Emma’s pink lips pulled then into a smile.  “No, the face I would make for that is too much to share over lunch.  That isn’t even something you should joke about.  What an unthinkable injustice!”

They both laughed then both at the absurdity of their conversation and the realization that indeed Emma was not exaggerating.  Onion rings were her kryptonite.

This was the way conversations with them had been lately.  Sometimes they talked about serious things and the atmosphere would be serious in turn.  But the everyday banter between then had become easy and flirtatious.  Even when Emma was struggling and having a hard time dealing with the darkness, Regina had been able to coax a smile from her and turn their chats toward something light.

Since Emma had begun stealing away to her clandestine adventures in the vineyard, they hadn’t talked as often.  Now, smiling and nibbling at the remains of their lunch, the former Dark One felt an ache in her chest.  She had missed this.  She didn’t want to go so long without confiding in the brunette again.

Emma smiled as she watched Regina steal a piece of pita bread from her plate and dab it in the hummus.  Despite the difficult days, the voices in her head and the loneliness of her nights, truly two things had been her saving grace since returning from the Underworld.  Regina and the vineyard.

Emma cleared her throat and decided to drive the conversation in another direction.  “So, how are things with Robin?  I haven’t seen him with you lately.”

The light in Regina’s brown eyes dimmed at the mention of the man who was supposed to be her soulmate.  “Oh, I guess things are… fine.”

“Just fine?”

“Yes.  Just… fine.”  Regina stood then and began clearing dishes from the kitchen island where they’d been eating.

Emma reached out a hand and stilled the brunette’s movements.  “Just fine doesn’t sound very fine to me.  What’s up?”

Regina let out a long sigh and shrugged.  She was silent as she dumped sandwich crusts in the trash can and pushed the few veggies and pita points into a baggie intending to eat them later as a snack.  She snapped a lid onto the bowl of hummus and placed it in the refrigerator and sat down again on the stool at the marble topped island.

Emma prodded her to speak with a nod of her head.  Regina made eye contact with her and shrugged again, taking a slow drink from her water glass.

“Nothing is up, Emma.  Fine is just the only word I could think of at the moment.  Things have been…” Regina hesitated.  “I don’t feel right complaining about my love life to you when you… well since… _Killian_.  Let’s talk about something else.”

Emma placed a hand on top of Regina’s and gave a gentle squeeze.  “Hey, listen.  I made peace with the fact that Killian wasn’t coming back a while ago.  It’s ok.  He served a purpose in my life and I accept that.  When someone’s purpose is fulfilled sometimes they go away.  They don’t usually die and you don’t usually follow them into hell to make sure they are really and truly, completely dead, but they do go away.  His part in my story was over.  I learned to trust again.  I learned to be open to love again.  I learned that leather is not always the best choice even when you really love it.”  Emma winked and tried to bring a little humor to the conversation.  “But, I am your best friend, Regina.  You can talk to me about anything.”

Regina scoffed at that.  Emma raised her eyebrows in silent question.  “You haven’t been talking to me about things, dear.  And I am _your_ best friend.”

Emma held up her hands in surrender.  “I know.  And I’m sorry.  But we are going to make that right today.  But first… tell me about Robin.”

The brunette huffed and looked around the kitchen as though she could find a way to escape.  Finding none, she spoke.  “It’s silly I guess.  I just… ever since we returned from the underworld he seems distant.  We haven’t talked as often and whether or not it is true, it feels like he makes up excuses to miss dates or leave early.  We haven’t made love—“ Regina stopped suddenly and looked at Emma with wide eyes.

“Go on.  I’m listening.”

“Well, we haven’t made love more than twice since we returned.  Twice, Emma.  And it was… passionless and perfunctory at best.  On my part as much as his.  Ever since he saw Marian—the _real_ Marian—things haven’t been the same.”  Regina took another drink from her glass.

“And how do you feel about that?  Are you ok?”  Emma squeezed her hand again.  Regina hadn’t even realized she was still holding it.

“That’s the part that disturbs me the most.  Tinkerbell said he was my soulmate—the beginning of my happiness—and yet I don’t care if I ever see him again.”  Regina’s free hand flew up and covered her mouth at the admission.  She studied Emma’s face, looking for judgement but found none.  “I guess it is like you said, I feel like his part in the story is over.  He taught me to let someone in.  He taught me to love again, to chance winning even if it was at the risk of losing.”

Regina grinned and wrinkled up her nose.  “And he taught me that I was not meant for the outdoors.  I love the woods and I love my horses but I don’t need to smell forest _every damn day_.”  She giggled at this and Emma did too.

“Well, have you talked to him about it?”  The blonde picked up hers and Regina’s now empty water glasses and put them in the dishwasher.  Regina watched as Emma filled the soap dispenser and closed the door, starting the wash cycle.  The comfortableness and domesticity of the scene made her draw down her eyebrows in a frown.  When had Emma become so at home in her home?  And why did it make her happy to see it?

Remembering Emma’s question, the brunette finally spoke again.  “No.  But I think I am going to.  This has gone on long enough.  I can’t believe I let pixie dust tell me who to love.  I’m Regina Mills for goodness sake.  I don’t take orders from anyone.  I think I need to break things off with him.  And if the dust was right and he was meant for me… well, then I guess I will just be alone.  It wasn’t so bad before.  I can do it again.”

Emma stood by her friend and laid a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently.  “Trust me.  As long as I am in this world—or any other for that matter—you will never be alone again.  Like it or not, you are pretty much stuck with me.” 

Regina tilted her head to look at the blonde and laid her olive hand on top of porcelain white.  Emma felt color rising in her cheeks at the affection in Regina’s brown eyes and hastily added, “And Henry.  Me and you and Henry against the world.  That’s what best friends do… right?”

The light in Regina’s eyes faltered again and she stood and walked toward the door of the kitchen.  “Yes.  I think you are right.  Best friends do that, Emma.  Now, let’s go see your vineyard.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Four**

Emma insisted on driving David’s old truck out to the vineyard.  Regina gripped the seat and tried to keep a blank expression as the vehicle rattled and roared along the streets between Mifflin and the edge of town.  The sheriff may have been in charge of enforcing traffic laws as a part of her job, but she was also an aggressive driver willing to take risks, pushing the limits of the battered pick-up. 

Without her permission, Regina’s mind pulled up the helpful theories of an article she had read once about how a person’s driving habits often mirrored their bedroom personality.  She quirked a smile.  Perhaps the Savior was as aggressive and reckless in bed as she was behind the wheel.  That wasn’t all together without its appeal.  _And Robin has no idea how to even start the engine, let alone drive a car._ The brunette chuckled quietly at her thoughts.

“What?” Emma asked, eyeing her companion as she pulled off the road next to the field that housed her secret garden.

“Nothing, dear.  Just thinking about what a skilled driver you are.”  Regina smirked again.

“Really?  Well, I’ve had a lot of practice.”  Emma answered honestly, unaware of Regina’s game.

“Oh.  A lot, hmm?”  Regina purred.

“Oh yeah.  I started too young though.  I mostly taught myself.  But, I’ve learned a lot over the years.  See, to me, any car can be a good ride if you know how to handle it.  But the bug… she’s special, you know?  Older models, like her, aren’t usually as responsive and ready to go.  But if you know what you are doing… well, let’s just say I took care of her, kept her in good condition, drove her every day and she rewards me for being gentle with her.  And when I am more demanding and need her to move fast—she does.”  Emma hadn’t noticed the way Regina’s eyes twinkled with mischief as she spoke until now.  “What?  What am I missing?”

“Nothing, dear.  Just enjoying how… _passionate_ you sound about _her._ ” Now Regina laughed outright.

The blonde furrowed her brows in confusion.  “Why do I get the impression we aren’t talking about cars?”

Regina merely shrugged and jumped down from the truck.  Emma watched her step in front of the truck and across the street, stopping short of entering the boundary marked by magic.  The dark woman looked back at Emma over her shoulder and beckoned her to come with a nod of her head before turning back to the vineyard and stepping through the magic veil.

Emma sat a moment in the truck, thinking back over how she had been talking about her yellow bug and wondered just what Regina had been thinking.  Giving up on figuring out this conversation, or ever fully figuring out the complex and enigmatic woman, the blonde clambered out of the pick-up and followed Regina into the field.

“Oh, Emma!”  Regina was staring out at a vast and meticulously well-kept field.  Row after row of neatly pruned vines stretched before them.  “I had no idea it was so…”

“Yeah.”  Emma breathed when words failed Regina.

The two women stood for a moment taking it in.  The wind had picked up and was causing a whistling and creaking among the vines, a mysterious and otherworldly music of nature.  Regina pushed a dark lock behind her ear and stepped out to gingerly touch the nearest vine.  The night before, in only the light of the trucks headlamps, she hadn’t realized the sheer scale of it all.  Seeing it in the light, she was overwhelmed and finally understood why it had been taking so much of Emma’s time.

“It’s beautiful, Emma.  Tell me.”  Regina turned and took both of Emma’s hands.  “Tell me about it.”

Emma smiled, pride swelling in her chest at Regina’s reaction to her work.  “Well, I guess I should start at the beginning…”  She paused a moment, squeezing the warm hands held in her own before letting them go and turning back toward her labor of love.  “After we arrived back from the Underworld, I was a mess.  I was sad and angry and confused.  I needed something, anything to distract me.  But there wasn’t anything.  I swear, of all the times for Storybrooke to have a quiet spell, this was the most inconvenient time for me.  At first, I was sorta depressed I guess.  But once I was ready to get back to work… well…”

“There were no villains to vanquish?” Regina offered.

“Exactly.  There weren’t any monsters to fight.  Nothing exciting to keep my mind off my life, you know?  And, I’m sorry, I love my job and I am well aware I am talking to my boss as much as my friend here, but it is so damn boring sitting in that office everyday with nothing to do.  I honestly found myself hoping Pongo would break his leash or Grumpy would go on a bender.”  Emma laughed and rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment.

“I understand.”  Regina said, stepping up closer to the other woman.  Emma raised a brow in doubt so the brunette went on.  “I do.  I was in this town 18 years without a soul to challenge me.  Then Henry came and it helped.  Then you came and… well…” Regina gestured widely with her arms.  “Things livened up considerably.  But before… yes, I do understand.”

They looked at each other a moment, sharing a silent understanding before Emma continued.  “But it was more than just feeling bored.  I… I didn’t feel like I had a purpose.  I mean, what does the town need with a sheriff when there is exactly zero crime?  What does the town need with a broken down Savior when nobody needs saving.  What do Snow White and Prince Charming need with an adult daughter when they have a new baby—“

“Emma.  Don’t talk like that.  It isn’t—“

“Yes, it is like that.  At least, it feels that way to me sometimes.  And that was how I felt.  Like I didn’t have a place anymore.  God.  I couldn’t even be the Dark One the right way.  And Killian…” Emma’s voice trailed off and her eyes seemed to look someplace Regina couldn’t see.  “Well, I couldn’t save him and without him I lost one more piece of my identity.  Not a sheriff, not a savior, not a dark one, not a daughter, not even anyone’s true love.”

“You were never his true love, dear.  So mark that off your list of woes.”  Regina crossed her arms and scuffed her boot in the dirt.  It was an unusual stance for the former Queen and Emma eyed her with curiosity.

“No?  Everyone else seemed to think—“

“To hell with what everyone else thinks.  True Love is magic, Emma.  It transcends realms.  It can break _any_ curse.  You never would have been the Dark One in the first place if you had true love with the pirate.  Assuming you kissed him while we were in Camelot.”

“I did… but the Rumple in my head said that didn’t work because I wanted the darkness—“

“Ha!” Regina barked out a disbelieving laugh.  “The Rumple in your head had an agenda, Emma.  The real imp would have known the truth.  The bookworm’s kiss nearly broke the curse for him and he had been indulging the darkness, giving in to its every whim for centuries.  You were fighting it hand over fist for what, a few weeks?  No. I don’t doubt Hook loved you, nor you him.  But _that_ was not true love.”

Emma stood a moment, considering what the brunette had said.  Maybe she was right. 

“Regardless,” Emma said after a beat of silence, “the fact is, I felt like a failure with no place here anymore.  Even Henry didn’t really need me.  He had you.”  Emma held up her hand to stop the argument already forming on Regina’s full lips.  _She has such a beautiful smile._   Emma pushed away the thought and went on.  “He had you.  So, I went out nearly every day for a run or a walk… you know, just to clear my head.  And one day I was too tired to take my full circuit and stumbled upon this place.”

Regina let her eyes take in the vineyard again, trying now to see it as Emma must have that first day.  “And this place made you feel… needed?”

Emma shrugged.  “I guess that sounds stupid to you, but yeah.  I saw this abandoned, near dead place and I thought it was like me.  It just needed someone to see and care and help.  And maybe, just maybe, it could be alive again and give something beautiful away.  So… I started coming out here and working to bring it back to life.”

Viewing the vineyard in the light of day, Regina eyed the blonde with a new kind of respect.  “And now?  How do you feel now?”

“To be honest, I feel better in some ways and the same in others.  I am proud of the work I’ve done so far and I feel like I have accomplished something here but I’m still not… well, I still don’t feel needed and wanted like I need to, I guess.”  Now it was Emma’s turn to scuff her boot in the soft black earth.

“Oh, Emma.  Of course you are needed and… _wanted._ ” Regina wasn’t prepared to acknowledge the reason why her voice was thick with emotion as she spoke.  But she knew from the way Emma’s eyes met hers that the blonde heard it too.

“Am I?”

Regina broke the intense gaze.  Wasn’t that always their way?  To push each other, to challenge each other and to look deep into each other’s souls as if searching for something they as yet couldn’t name there?  “Yes.  You are.  Henry needs you.  Your family needs you.  And whether we are in the middle of a battle or not, this town needs you.”  Regina looked back into turbulent emerald eyes.

“And what about you?”  Emma asked in a whisper.  “Do _you_ need me?”

“You know I do.  Haven’t I told you so?  It isn’t easy for me to admit to needing anything, but… despite spending so many years wishing you’d get the hell out of my life… well, I find myself happy you didn’t listen to me then.  Don’t you know that, Emma?  Don’t you know how much you mean to me after all this time?”  Regina hated herself for admitting these things.  It was dangerous.  Anyone else would use this information against her.  But not Emma.  She knew she could trust the other woman and somehow she knew she needed to hear these words.  “But…”

“But?”  Emma tensed.  This was the moment she always expected whenever she began to relax and trust and believe.  The dreaded _but…_ that always lead to something she didn’t want to hear, something that erased everything good she had just heard.

“But… I don’t just need you.  I…” Regina hesitated. This was not at all what she had expected to say today.  “Emma, even if you weren’t the savior, even if you and I weren’t somehow designed to bring out the best in each other magically, even if there was absolutely nothing that I could gain from having you in my life… I’d want you there.  I… I want you as much as I need you.”

Both women looked out at the expansive field in silence, thinking about the unexpected turn of their conversation.  The wind continued to whistle and wind its way around them as the afternoon sun began to drift lower in the sky.  Regina felt Emma’s warm hand brush against her own and intertwine their fingers.  A smile tugged at full lips but brown eyes remained on the vineyard.

“So, do you think you would be willing to help me some out here?”

“Yes, of course.  I’d love to.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Five**

“You know, Emma, eventually you are going to have to tell people about this.  At least our son.  He’s only going to accept that it is a secret for so long.”  Regina was kneeling in between two rows of vines, carefully examining the newly arrived fruit.  It wasn’t ready to be harvested yet according to all the books she’d been reading, but it wasn’t getting enough sunlight either.  The usually perfectly put together Mayor and former Queen tucked a fly-away lock of dark hair behind her ear and snipped away the extra leaves.

Emma watched her intently despite the fact that she too was meant to be checking the vines for grapes and identifying those that would ripen first.  But Regina had become a distraction in the months they’d been sneaking off to work in the field together.  Now, on her knees, hair in a messy pony tail and dressed in jeans and a faded t-shirt from a Guns and Roses concert that she had borrowed from the sheriff, Emma couldn’t seem to think of anything else.  When had Regina become the focus of her daytime—and nighttime—musings?  Brown eyes looked up into green expectantly.  Oh yes, she had been talking about their son. 

“I know you are right, but… to be honest I’ve been enjoying this just being our thing.  But I suppose I should tell the kid.”  Emma tried to turn her attention to the grapes before her.

“And your parents.  I would be the first to say it has been a great pleasure for me to hold a secret over Snow’s head… especially involving her offspring, but I think it is time to come clean, dear.  Besides, if you plan on harvesting these things without magic, we are going to need some help.”

The first day Regina had joined her in the field to work, the prolific sorceress had offered to use her magic to speed things along.  But Emma had explained there was something special, almost therapeutic about working the earth with her own two hands.  She wanted to do this the old fashioned way.

Regina had smiled and nodded.  She knew just what Emma meant.

_“When we arrived here, in Storybrooke, I didn’t really know how to do many things for myself.  I had relied on magic to dress, do my hair, makeup… everything really.  The peasants were given the memories and skills they needed to survive, but I didn’t gain a new personality.  I had to learn the hard way.”  Regina smirked, pulling on a pair of work gloves to protect her hands._

_“Oh god, I bet you had some ridiculous 80’s hair didn’t you?”  Emma laughed, pulling a bucket with tools they needed from the bed of the truck._

_Regina arched a brow and gave Emma a superior huff.  “No.  I had good hair even then.  Really, Emma.  Do you think I wouldn’t look my best just because I was without magic?  I thought we had already established that I naturally look good.”  The brunette winked and, as if to emphasize the point, tossed her hair back across her shoulder.  “But I did have to learn to do many things.  I suppose that is why I take such care and pride in the meals I prepare.  When I first started cooking for myself I did a terrible job.  But then I read a lot of cook books and watched some cooking shows and practiced.  Now, making something with my own two hands and serving it to my family… well, it’s special to me.”_

_Emma’s cheeks colored at the word family.  She knew for a fact the only people Regina cooked for were her and Henry._ Family. _Emma could get used to that.  “Well, I must say you do make the best lasagna I’ve ever tasted.  And that coffee custardy thing?”_

_“Tiramisu.”_

_“Yeah.  That.  I love that.”_

_“Hmmm, well I just so happen to be making that exact meal for dinner tomorrow night.  Why don’t you come?”_

So many days together in the field, just talking and sharing and learning things about each other had created a whole new dimension to their relationship.  And that dinner invitation had been one of many over the months.  Emma was in the mansion on Mifflin more than in her own home. 

Emma looked around at the vines beginning to sag from the weight of their fruit and knew Regina was right.  They were going to need help. 

“Ok, I will tell the kid.  And maybe I can bring him out here if he’s interested.  You have that finance meeting tomorrow, right?”

“Indeed I do.  I think that sounds like a great plan.  He is going to be so excited to see what we’ve been doing.”  Regina watched as Emma squatted and leaned in to examine a plant a little closer.  The angle that she was stretching in exposed her cleavage in a way that Regina couldn’t avoid seeing. 

Her heart fluttered in her chest and she scolded herself.  Emma was a very attractive woman.  She was strong and smart and she made Regina laugh.  But they were friends. Nothing more.  The brunette had dropped Robin like a bad habit only one day after the unexpectedly revealing conversation with Emma the first day they had come to the vineyard together.  But that hadn’t been influenced in the least by the way the blonde filled her mind every hour of the day lately.  No, they were friends.  Really, really good friends.  And Regina was just lonely.  Nothing more.

“So, will you be coming to dinner tonight?”  Regina asked, redirecting her attention.

Emma glanced at the woman beside her.  “I thought Henry was going to some kind of ‘Guys Night Out’ thing with dad tonight?”

“He is.  But I thought… oh, never mind.  I… just… forget I asked.  It’s ok.”  Regina focused with such intensity then on the grapes before her, she was surprised they didn’t catch fire under her gaze.

“Oh, no.  I… I didn’t mean to say the wrong thing.  I just didn’t think you would be interested in hanging out with me without the kid, I mean, since you have been stuck out here with me all day.  I didn’t mean to upset you, Regina.”  Emma placed a gentle hand on the part of the brunette’s arm that she considered _her_ spot.  It was the only place she ever touched the other woman other than her hands.

Regina studied Emma’s eyes a moment, an unusual vulnerability clear in brown orbs.  “You didn’t upset me.  And honestly, I thought it would be nice to enjoy a kid-free meal and have a grape-free conversation.  Maybe we could watch a movie after?  And just relax?”

A bright smile spread across Emma’s face and she squeezed gently on Regina’s arm, realizing only then that she was feeling skin to skin.

“Yeah.  I think that sounds great.  A movie and a meal… just the two of us.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Six**

Emma knocked on the heavy white door, the number “108” gleaming in the sun, and waited for her son to answer.  She was excited and nervous about sharing this with him but she knew he would meet the moment with enthusiasm.  That would make it all worth it.

Just last night she had knocked on this same door.  She’d gone home from the vineyard and had a hot shower, changed into some decidedly more dinner appropriate clothes and come to the mansion.  Ok, maybe she had changed clothes a few times.  Suddenly everything she wore seemed not quite right for dinner… with Regina.  Regina her friend.  But ultimately she had just pulled on some jeans and a tank and slipped on her jacket.  _If it ain’t broke…_

She had stood there on the porch, hands shoved into her back pockets and waited for the door to open.  When it did, her heart had leapt into her throat.  She had seen so many new sides of Regina in the last few weeks.  Tonight was no different.  Rather than being dressed in a power pant suit or a sexy black dress, the petite woman had on yoga pants, an oversized sweatshirt with the neck cut out so it slipped off one shoulder slightly, revealing a tank top of her own, and slouching socks on her feet.  She hadn’t reapplied her makeup after her bath and her hair was loose and natural about her face.  She had never looked more beautiful to Emma.

“Hi.” Emma had managed.

“Hi.”  Regina had smiled back before stepping back to allow her in.

They had eaten lasagna in the dining room but Regina had uncharacteristically permitted dessert in the living room.  So, with a glass of vino santo and an extra-large serving of tiramisu, the women had curled their feet up onto the couch and searched through the offerings on Netflix before settling on a classic Regina had never seen— _Fried Green Tomatoes_.  Over the course of the film, sipping on her wine and moaning around each bite of the delicious dessert, Emma had watched a full spectrum of emotions cross Regina’s face.  They had laughed and cried and sighed wistfully. 

Emma knew she had seen the movie when she was a young teen, but she hadn’t remembered it being so heavy on lesbian subtext.  Although Emma had only been involved with men since she had come to Storybrooke, her life outside the town had been a little more diverse.  She had learned to spot queer undertones in otherwise hetero stories for years.  But this was one movie she hadn’t seen since she had developed her penchant for finding the gay in the gray areas.  She wondered if the sub-textual love affair bothered Regina—or it the woman had even noticed.  But she need not have concerned herself.  The brunette was observant.

“So, they were… in love.  Like, _in love_ in love.  Right?”  Regina had smiled shyly at Emma as the end credits rolled.

“What makes you think that?”  Emma knew the answer to the other woman’s question, but she was curious to see what had stood out to her.

Regina’s cheeks flushed a becoming pink and she quickly looked down at her hands in her lap.  Then, raising her eyes to look at Emma through soot-black lashes, she tried to answer with confidence.  “Well, I just got that vibe.  I guess with the honey scene or the one at the river.  And the way Idgie defended Ruth against that asshole she married.  Am I wrong?”

Emma grinned.  “No.  You aren’t wrong.  It isn’t explicitly said in the film, but the book is a little plainer.  They were definitely _in love_ in love.”

Relief washed over Regina’s face.  “Oh, thank God.  I thought my gay-dar was broken.  Especially after that food fight scene.  That was a lovely metaphor for sex, don’t you think?”

Emma sputtered and stammered trying to respond.  The only coherent word out of her mouth though had been “Gay-dar?!”

Regina had chuckled darkly as she stood and started to take their plates and wine glasses to the kitchen.  “Oh, dear, sweet, naïve Emma.  You aren’t the only one with a super power… or a colorful past.  I wasn’t called the Evil Queen for nothing.  I didn’t exactly follow conventional wisdom and social mores. ”

With that, she had winked and sashayed away.  Emma had watched dumbfounded.  And she would have bet money there was just a bit of extra sway in Regina’s hips as she disappeared across the landing and into the kitchen.  _Gay-dar?_

Now, here she was again, waiting for their son and the chance to share something special with him.  Today was going to be a great day.  And soon—much sooner than she had expected—the grapes would be ready to harvest.  And then Regina was going to help her make wine.

“Hey, Ma.  What are you doing here?”  Henry smiled at his blonde mother, holding the door open with one hand and a half-eaten sandwich in the other.

“Hey, kid.  Have you got a minute?  I want to show you something.”

Henry shrugged and reached out for his keys from the dish on the table by the door.  “Sure.  Let’s go.”

Most of the drive had featured a running list of all the things Henry had done that day.  He paused only to inhale his sandwich and Emma was reminded yet again that her son was growing up.  He was a bona fide teenager now.  The sheriff made a mental note to give Regina some money for groceries.  Henry had to be eating her out of house and home by this point.

About a mile from their destination, Emma had broken in to explain the point of their little journey.  “So, you know how I’ve been slipping off a lot to some unknown place?”

“And taking Mom along while totally leaving me out?  Yes.  I do seem to recall something like that.”  Henry smirked.  He couldn’t be more Regina if she had given birth to him herself.

“Ha. Ha.”  Emma laughed mirthlessly.  “I know, I should’ve told you about it already.  But it was complicated, ok.  And I am telling you now.  In fact, I’m going to show you.”

Emma quickly gave her son the short version of her tale.  She covered finding the vineyard and the reason it meant so much to her.  She even skirted carefully around how much sharing it with Regina had meant to her.  Henry, for his part, had sat quietly listening, nodding and making encouraging noises as she went along.

When the story was finished, the yellow bug rolled to a stop at the edge of the vineyard and the pair got out.  Emma raised a hand and lowered the cloaking spell, exposing the secret garden to her son.

“Oh wow!  Ma, this is amazing!”  Henry jogged into the field and stooped to lift a bunch of deep purple grapes up slightly.  “Wow!  You did this yourself?”

Emma shrugged slightly and smiled shyly.  “Well, me and your mom did.  She’s been a big help.  And now I need your help too, kid.”

Henry’s green eyes danced.  “What?  How can I help?”

Emma laughed at his enthusiasm.  “Well, it’s almost harvest time and I’m afraid without magic there is no way your mom and I can do this alone.  So, will you help?  Do you think we can get a couple others to pitch in too?”

“Oh yeah!  This is going to be so great!  I’ve never had, like, real grapes from a vine before.  And I know we can get some people to help.  But, what are you going to do with them all?”

Emma surveyed the expansive field before her.  “Make wine, of course.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Seven**

In the coming weeks, Emma had found out just how much she was loved by the town.  She may have begun this adventure in a vineyard believing that she was out of place—unneeded and unwanted—but as the field had filled with men, women and dwarves ready to help harvest her grapes with no questions asked, she felt truly and deeply loved. 

So, in the early mornings, before going to their jobs, the denizens of Storybrooke had worked, shoulder to shoulder, carefully cutting individual bunches of grapes by hand, loading them in bins, and carrying them to a building Regina had spent several days creating with magic.  The land, after all, belonged to her.  So she had erected a place for Emma to process the grapes and prepare them for fermentation.  There was even a place for the wine to be bottled and labeled and sealed with wax by hand when the aging process was completed.  In all her studies, Regina had learned everything she could about the process and had planned for everything.

Emma had protested.  She didn’t think it was fair to have Regina using so much of her magic, weakening herself and putting a strain on herself, just so Emma wouldn’t have to.  But the brunette had scoffed and rolled her eyes.

“Emma, it isn’t like my magic will be depleted forever.  And besides, I haven’t gotten to use it for more than an up-do or folding laundry in so long.  I _needed_ to do it.  And I wanted to do it.  For you.”

So, it was settled then.  No more arguments from Emma about Regina’s contributions to the cause.

It was the nights, when the sun had set and darkness had fallen, when most of the work in the vineyard had been done.  In the cool night air, with Regina setting aloft magic glowing orbs to light their way, the people had laughed and labored together, excited about the work of their savior.

“Hey, sister.  These grapes are good and all, and no doubt I’ll enjoy a taste of the wine when it’s ready, but… what are ya gonna call it?  Emma’s or Swan’s or what?”  Grumpy had called out to her one night when most of the other help had gone home.

Regina had stopped her work, stood tall to stretch her aching back and watched with curious eyes, awaiting Emma’s response.  Emma had smiled at the older woman and held her gaze even as she called out an answer to the dwarf.

“Dark Vintage.  I think it suits it.”

Regina smiled then, tapping a finger to the side of her nose to acknowledge the message that only she and Henry could truly understand in the name.  The wine, and the work it took to bring it to fruition, had helped Emma walk the lonely road back from a dark place.  It was indeed a dark vintage.

Soon enough the grapes had been harvested in full and taken to the building.  They had been pressed and fermented and poured into oak barrels, all stacked neatly in the cool, dark basement Regina had prepared.  Now, there was nothing to do but wait.

That had been over a year ago now.

Emma had kept faithful watch over the wine, tasting and testing as time passed to be sure it was ready.  She had been working on a plan and she had every intention of seeing it through.  But the wine had to be perfect.  Everything had to be perfect.

Over the last fifteen months, Emma had been spending a lot of time at Mifflin Street with her son and his other mother.  The hours she had spent with Regina in the vineyard had created a hole in her very soul that only the brunette could fill.  And she never realized it more than the first week after the grape harvest.

During those first few days, Regina had gone back to Town Hall and her duties as Mayor.  Emma had returned to her post at the Sheriff’s Station.  Sitting at her desk, bored with darts and playing basketball with crumpled paper and the trash can, Emma had stared at her cell phone with her finger poised over Regina’s name.  She could just make up some excuse or other to hear the other woman’s voice.  But she didn’t do it.  She couldn’t.  Regina had been good to her, taking so much time away from work to help her.  She couldn’t ask her for more.

It was the same for three whole days.  Always Emma trying to keep herself busy in order to stop herself from calling the other woman.  It was silly.  They had agreed to dinner on Friday night with the kid.  She was acting like a teenager with a crush.  She had to remain calm.  She had to resist the urge.  Regina was just her friend.  Nothing more.

“Making good use of the taxpayers’ dollars I see, Sheriff.”  Regina’s sultry voice floated through the air and washed over Emma. 

The blonde looked up from her pitiful turn at vintage Ms. Pacman on her phone to see a vision in her doorway.  Regina was impeccably dressed in her charcoal gray suit with sinfully tight skirt but the thing that caught Emma’s attention most of all was the straining third button on her stark white blouse and the barely visible edge of a red lace bra.

Regina followed Emma’s gaze and smirked, arching a brow.  But the Sheriff recovered quickly.  “Actually, playing games like this are good for my hand-eye coordination so… technically this _is_ a good use of the taxpayers’ money, Madam Mayor.” 

Regina laughed then and sat down in the chair across the desk from her.  “I suppose so.  But are you winning?”

Emma blushed slightly.  “No.  But it is still good practice.  So,” the blonde went on, “what brings you down to the Sheriff’s Station today?  Am I late with a report again?”

The brunette shook her head.  “No.  I was honestly just bored.  And if I have to read one more report—yours or anyone else’s—I may actually cast another curse.”  The brunette seemed to have something else to say but hesitated.

“Is there something else, Regina?”

“Well, actually, yes.  I wondered if… well, if you aren’t too busy… If you are busy, just say so, although based on your _training_ with Ms. Pacman, I believe it was—you hardly look busy but—“

“Regina.  Just come out with it already.”

Olive cheeks colored bright red and Emma’s heart raced.  She’d known Regina for years but she had seen her blush more in the last few months than in all the time they’d been enemies and friends.

“Well, I thought you might like to go for a drive.  It’s silly.  I should get back to work and let you—“

“Ok. Where are we headed?”  Emma stood and pulled on her jacket.  This was the best day ever.

She and Regina had ended up driving out to a spot on the edge of town near a beautiful lake.  Emma had no idea such a place existed in Storybrooke.  They had gotten out and walked down to the water’s edge.  They had talked some but mostly they had stood in comfortable silence, just being together away from the monotony of life.

After that day, they had taken a drive after lunch at least twice a week.  And Emma had started coming to dinner more and more frequently—whether or not Henry was there.  And every Saturday that Emma wasn’t on duty had become a family day.  Even if they only watched movies and lounged around the manse all day, they spent it as a family.  But on those days when Emma wasn’t at Mifflin, she knew—she knew and there was no denying it.  The longing, the need to be near her, to hear her voice.  Emma knew and soon enough, she had plans to do something about it. 

She was in love with Regina Mills.  Hopelessly and irrevocably in love.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Eight**

Regina was typing away on a memo to the Director of the Parks Department.  On a recent family day to the park, Regina had noted with disdain that several benches and trash receptacles were in disrepair.  That would not do and the Parks Department was the first contact to get it taken care of. Her intercom buzzed and Camille, her unassuming new assistant spoke before the microphone was ready.

“—orry to bother you Madam Mayor, but Sheriff Swan is here insisting to see you.  I told her she needed to make an appointment but—“

“It’s alright, Camille.  The Sheriff doesn’t need an appointment.  Now or ever.  Make a note of it.  And send Emma in.”  Barbara had been Regina’s assistant since the curse had broken and her cursed assistant had returned to her family and life as a milk maid, but the woman had retired last month and Camille had started.  She was sweet and well organized, but she had a lot to learn.  Old Regina would never have given her a chance… but this New Regina was a bit more accepting of other’s short comings.

“Hi.”  Emma strode confidently into the office and shut the door behind her.  “Are you almost finished?  Surely you know it is—“  Emma glanced at her phone “—three minutes past five on a Friday.”

Regina smiled at the blonde woman before her.  She noted with a growing warmth in her stomach that Emma was wearing a slightly dressier ensemble than usual, especially for a Friday. 

The months since they had started working in the vineyard together had done nothing but increase Regina’s affection and interest in their son’s other mother.  Try as she might, Regina hadn’t been able to stamp it out.  So, she had given up trying.  She had resigned herself to the fact that she was attracted to Emma and—though she knew Emma did not return her interest—she would be satisfied to love her from afar.

 _Love?_ Regina internally scoffed at the thought.  She wasn’t even going to consider the L-word.  That was taking her secret fondness too far.  Wasn’t it?

“Well, Sheriff, some of us have to work around here to take up the slack for the wastebasket basketball champions to keep up their averages.”  Regina gave Emma a flirty wink and was pleased to see it returned.

“I hope you are nearly finished with… whatever it is you are doing now though.  Are you?”

“Yes.  I am finished.  But, what’s the rush?  I’ve never known you to be in such a hurry to get to dinner with your parents.  Henry called and said he was headed there a bit ago.”

“Well, _if_ we were going to my parents tonight, I suppose you would be correct.  I wouldn’t be in a hurry.  But since we aren’t… are you almost ready?”

Regina cocked her head to the side and studied the blonde.  She was clenching and unclenching her jaw and tugging nervously at the edge of her jacket.  “Emma, are you alright?  Where are we going?”

Emma laughed and tried to steady her nerves.  “Yep.  I’m good.  And you will know where we are going if you will hurry up and put on your coat.  I’m going out here and send Camille home.  So… come on.”  Green eyes sparkled and Regina’s stomach flip-flopped at the sight.  _Love.  Yes, that is it._ No matter how much she wanted to deny it or ignore it—she couldn’t.  If only Emma felt something for her in return.

“Alright, alright.  I’m coming.  Go on ahead and I’ll shut down my computer and lock the door.”  Emma hesitated, narrowing her eyes playfully.  “Shoo.  Get out of here.  I’m right behind you.”

Emma grinned then and spun on her heel.  She disappeared through the door as Regina clicked her last program closed and stood.  She pulled on her coat and took several deep, calming breaths.  This was no different than any other dinner with the blonde.  She had no reason to feel so… so… _alive._ She felt more alive somehow and she didn’t really know why.  Something in Emma’s smile, in her tone of voice… what was she up to?

After a short drive to Emma’s large house, Regina was no more enlightened than she had been at the office.  She still had no idea what Emma had up her sleeve.  “Did you forget something?”

“No.  This is where we are going.  I have something to show you.”  Emma got out of the bug and jogged around to help Regina from the car.  The intertwining of their fingers wasn’t unheard of by any means but it wasn’t a regular event.  But now, on the sidewalk in front of her house, Emma cradled Regina’s hand in her own and led her into the large home she had chosen for herself as the Dark One.

Regina noted that there was no dinner in the kitchen, and the house was mostly dark and quiet.  She wanted to ask questions, but the warm tug of Emma’s hand in hers was making it difficult to think of anything else.  The two women stepped across the entryway to a small door under the stairs that Regina knew led to Emma’s cellar.

“Emma?” Regina breathed as the blonde opened the door.

“It’s ok.  Trust me.”

“I do.” Regina meant those words more than most others she had spoken in her life.

Down the rough-hewn steps they went into the underground part of Emma’s home.  Regina followed curiously behind Emma as they went down a dark corridor.  Emma held a flashlight in front of them to be sure the brunette saw the way clearly.  Curiosity and sheer excitement at the mystery of it all made Regina tremble.  She wasn’t a fan of surprises, but she trusted Emma.

In a moment, Emma reached out and opened a large door and stepped aside for Regina to enter.  The older woman stepped into the light and gasped.  There before her were rows and rows of wine.  Not just any wine, but Emma’s wine.  The wine they had worked so hard together to bring about.  It was finally ready.

“Oh Emma!  The wine!”  Regina’s smile alone would have lit up the space, but at the end of every row was a wall sconce lighting the place softly. 

Emma smiled brightly at her enthusiastic companion.  “Yeah.  The wine.  It is finally ready and I wanted you to be the first to know.  Will you have a glass with me?”

Regina’s heart was racing as Emma gestured to the side and brown eyes saw for the first time since entering the cellar a table and two chairs.  The table was covered in a crisp white table cloth and a single candle was burning brightly, set in an arrangement of gardenias and orchids.  The places were set with linen napkins and silverware and a cloche covered meal at each place.  Two empty wine glasses completed the scene.  It was beautiful.  It was romantic.  It was overwhelming.

“Emma?” Regina said for the second time tonight.

“Well, would you like to sit or…” Green eyes suddenly filled with insecurity and Regina realized she hadn’t yet answered Emma’s original question.

“Yes… yes, of course.  Let’s sit.”  Regina smiled brightly at the other woman.

Joy dawned on Emma’s soft face and Regina felt her own smile grow impossibly wider.

“Ok.  Good.  Great.”

Emma stepped behind her and helped her out of her coat before pulling out her chair and pushing her up to the table as she sat.  _Beautiful and chivalrous._ The blonde lifted the cloche from each of their places to reveal perfectly prepared filet mignon and asparagus. 

“I know you aren’t big on red meat but I figured with the wine…” Emma trailed off as she picked up the already open bottle of their Dark Vintage and poured the beautiful red wine into each glass.

Regina picked up her glass as Emma held hers aloft in a toast.  “Tonight, I wish to celebrate not only my first vintage of wine from grapes we grew ourselves… but I also want to celebrate the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known, the one who has brightened every moment of my life over these last few years, the one with whom I hope to drink this wine for the rest of my life.  To Dark Vintage and to you, Regina.”

Regina sat stunned for a moment, clutching her glass tightly and staring at green eyes filled with warring emotions of love and fear.  Finally she broke through her paralysis and held her glass up to clink against Emma’s.  “To Dark Vintage,” she whispered before bringing the glass to her lips. 

She swirled the glass slightly and breathed in the aroma before taking a sip.  The wine tasted earthy and smooth, rich and dark with notes of berry, mocha and cinnamon as it slid across her tongue and down her throat.  It was as incredible and complex as the woman who had made it.

“This is wonderful, Emma.” Regina took another sip before setting aside her glass.  She was trying to give an air of calm despite the raging in her chest and mind.  What had Emma meant by her toast?  Should Regina respond or wait or… she was at a loss so instead of saying anything, she picked up her napkin and placed it in her lap.  “Shall we eat?”

Emma nodded as she placed her own napkin in her lap.  Was Regina going to say nothing about her toast?  It hadn’t been long but she had carefully chosen the words to carry some meaning to the brunette.  Had she made a mistake?

The two women ate in silence then, speaking occasionally about the deliciousness of the meal, the incredible state of the wine, anything at all but what they both really wanted to talk about. When the dinner had been eaten and the dishes magicked away, Regina accepted another glass of wine from Emma and waited for the blonde to say something else but Emma remained stoic.

“It really is a wonderful wine, Emma.  You should be proud.  So much complexity in—“

“Yeah, I get it Regina.  It’s complex.”  Emma’s voice was sharp and irritated and caught Regina by surprise.

A tiny flame of anger flickered to life inside the brunette.  That was an emotion she knew well enough to be at ease with.  “Excuse me.  What is your problem?  I was only trying to pay you a compliment which is a mistake I assure you I will not make again.”

Emma stood and ran her hands through her hair with a frustrated sigh. “Damnit Regina.  Didn’t you hear what I said in my toast?  Are you not even going to acknowledge that I just admitted I want to spend the rest of my life with you?  I did everything but come right out and say I’m in love with you and you keep talking about the damn wine!  Don’t you get it?  I did all this romantic stuff for you.  I thought… I hoped… goddammit.  Just forget it.”

“Love… you… you _love_ me?  You’re _in love_ with me?” Regina stood and stepped away from the table and toward Emma.

The blonde turned, tears brimming in her eyes and looked at the other woman.  “Of course I am.  And I couldn’t go another day without telling you.  It’s ok if you don’t love me back.  I can live with that.  But I can’t live with you not even acknowledging my feelings at all.  I—“

Emma’s words were cut off suddenly as Regina closed the distance between them and crashed their lips together in a searing kiss.  Olive fingers wove through golden curls as the former Queen let go of reason and fear and poured every ounce of her feelings for Emma into this one kiss.

For a moment, the blonde was shocked and didn’t know what was happening. Suddenly, as Regina’s tongue brushed softly against her lips, Emma recovered and kissed her back with abandon.  Opening her mouth slightly to permit Regina access she tasted the dark bitterness and sweet cinnamon of the wine on her tongue.  Her mind grew fuzzy as she became aware of Regina’s body pressed against her and of fingers tugging gently at her hair.

Emma took a chance and gripped Regina’s waist tightly, pulling the brunette flush against her and impossibly close.  Regina moaned into her mouth at the action and the sound made Emma weak enough to collapse if not for the tender, lithe body against her.

After a moment, Regina pulled back and broke the kiss.  She needed to catch her breath and calm her racing heart.  She’d kissed and been kissed many times in her long life, but no one had ever made her dizzy and giddy and wanton as she felt just then.

Green eyes searched her face, looking for words she was all too ready to give.  “I love you too, Emma.  So much.  And I’d gladly spend the rest of my life drinking this wine with you.”

A smile so bright the sun would have hidden in shame spread over Emma’s face.  “Really?”

“Yes, really.  I can think of no happier ending than that.  Even for a former Evil Queen and Dark One.”

Emma’s gaze turned serious then.  “Everyone deserves their happy ending.”

Regina picked up her wine glass and handed Emma’ hers before making a toast of her own.  “To happy endings.”

Emma smiled and clinked their glasses together in agreement.  “To happy endings.” 

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [A Dark Vintage](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5363807) by [DitchingNarnia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DitchingNarnia/pseuds/DitchingNarnia)




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